Brandon Parker becoming a key piece for the Las Vegas Raiders
By Brad Weiss
After struggling in his first two seasons with the Silver and Black, Brandon Parker is becoming a valuable member of the Las Vegas Raiders.
As a whole, the then-Oakland Raiders 2018 NFL Draft class was a bit of a dud. Sure, there have been some bright spots, including left tackle Kolton Miller and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, but for the most part, it has been more bust than boom.
One of the key addition during that draft was Brandon Parker, who joined Miller as offensive tackles taken with two of the first three selections that year. While Miller has dominated since struggling as a rookie, Parker has been mostly a disappointment, that is until this season, where he has been a pleasant surprise.
Parker stepped up on Sunday against Cleveland
After barely playing through the first five games of the 2020 NFL season, Parker has been thrust into a more prominent role, and he has responded. In Week 7 against Tampa Bay, he was called upon due to the fact that Sam Young went down in the second quarter, and he played very well against a tough Buccaneers defensive front.
This past Sunday, Trent Brown was ruled out just before the game due to a mishap with his IV, a scary situation that forced Parker to go from a potential inactive to playing in nearly 70 percent of the snaps. Once again, Parker performed at a high level, and he is starting to gain the respect, and confidence of head coach Jon Gruden.
With guys getting healthier, Parker’s role will likely diminish once again, but he has proven that if he is called upon, he is no longer the liability that he once was.
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Based on the talent in front of him, it is not likely that Parker will assume a starting role with the Raiders, but his contributions in 2020 have been crucial to an offensive line that seems to have issues on a weekly basis. Parker is still only 25-years old, and has the size and strength to play a long time at the NFL level, and it is great to see him finally reaching some of his potential with the Raiders.